


Second Chances

by Rosalind_or_Ganymede



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, But I also want some angst first, F/F, I just want Faith to be happy, Past Angel/Buffy Summers, Season 5 AU, Slow Burn, there's a vague attempt at a plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25890739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosalind_or_Ganymede/pseuds/Rosalind_or_Ganymede
Summary: When Faith gets word that Buffy may be in danger, she breaks out of prison to return to Sunnydale. But seeing the other slayer again brings up feelings Faith would have rather left buried.Set in season 5 shortly after Riley leaves (although I make no promises about continuity).
Relationships: Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers
Comments: 12
Kudos: 70





	1. Prison Break

Faith sat alone in the yard, doing her best to send “don’t talk to me” vibes at everyone in the vicinity. Generally these days, she was doing a bit better, but today, she felt like if someone talked to her, she might fall of the “no murder” wagon. She hadn’t slept well. 

It wasn’t like Faith wasn’t used to nightmares; she was a slayer, after all. Nightmares came with the territory. Not only that, she had enough bad memories to fuel her nightmares even if she managed to live to old age. But this one was different. It had that creepy, too-real feeling to it. And, it had been about Buffy.

_ Faith was walking down a dark hallway, knife in hand. The walls were cracked and peeling. They looked like they would tumble if she breathed on them wrong. “Buffy?” Faith called in a whisper, although she didn’t know why she expected the other slayer to be there. There was just something in her gut telling her that she was meant to be looking for her. When she found Buffy, she’d know what was going on.  _

_ Faith turned a corner, and found herself standing on nothing. The hallway was gone, replaced by blank space. She turned and looked behind her. Nothing there, either. Great. Faith took an experimental step forward. The nothing seemed solid enough. She might as well keep going. Faith inched forward into the abyss. She squinted, then picked up her pace. There was someone up ahead, like a light cutting through the darkness. Faith grinned. Buffy was facing away from her, her sundress rippling in an unfelt wind. “Buffy!” Faith shouted “Hey, B!” She was almost there. Buffy started to turn, and Faith could picture the smile on her face, the easy way she would wave. Then, she slumped forward like she had been punched. Faith faltered “Buffy?” She watched helplessly as Buffy’s body was pulled upwards then slammed down like a rag doll. The darkness cleared, and Faith saw the thing holding Buffy. Its massive talons circled her easily, blood red against her pale skin. Its mouth dripped a putrid green substance and as it leered, Faith could see its teeth, each one as large as her head. “No.” She said weakly. She tried to run forward, but she couldn’t move. “Buffy!”  _

_ Buffy’s head lolled towards her, moving separately from her body. Her face was frozen in terror. “Faith” she choked “Help me.”  _

_ “I can’t move.” Faith shouted. She felt a lump of fear forming in her throat. Buffy’s jaw clicked wordlessly.  _

_ “You…” she managed to gasp “You need to… help me.”  _

_ “I’m trying!” The monster started to retreat into the darkness, taking Buffy with it.  _

_ “Come help me.”  _

_ “Buffy!”  _

Faith shivered, although the air was warm. She couldn’t shake the image of Buffy’s broken body being pulled away from her. She ran a hand through her hair and took a breath. It was just a dream, she told herself. Just a dream. 

“Are you sure about that?” Faith jumped. Somehow, someone had managed to sit down right next to her without her noticing. The someone in question giggled as Faith scrambled to regain her composure. Her nose was upturned and wrinkled, the skin around it splotched red and pink, clashing brilliantly with her choppy red hair. She watched Faith out of bulbous, watery eyes. She wore the bland prison uniform, but Faith had never seen her before. Faith clenched her fists, ready to pounce. 

“Easy, tiger,” the woman said breezily “No need to cause a scene. I’m just here to pass on a message.” 

“Who are you?” 

“Doesn’t matter,” she smiled cheekily at Faith. “Like hell it doesn’t” Faith muttered, but the woman ignored her, continuing “What matters is that dream you had.” 

“How did you know about that?” 

“Hon, who do you think gave it to you?” 

“What?” 

The woman shrugged “Call it a little preview for the next act.” Faith stared at her. She grinned, and her puffy face seemed to stretch itself thin. Her eyes glinted yellow. Faith didn’t need more than that. 

She lunged, her hand on the strange woman’s throat before she could even react. Faith pinned her to the ground and sat on top of her, squeezing her throat slightly. She heard someone shout behind her, but she didn’t care. 

“Been a while since I’ve had a good tussle,” Faith said, grinning “I’m trying to be good, see. But, something tells me you’re not human, and, well,” she pushed down rapidly with her hand, causing the woman to splutter, her eyes bulging even more than before “there’s nothing in the rules saying I can’t still hurt  _ you _ .” 

Faith raised her other hand in a fist, ready to bring it down on this thing’s face, but the woman below her just laughed. It was a harsh, wheezing sound. Faith made the mistake of looking into her eyes. She felt like she was falling. She saw the demon from her dream, the old Sunnydale highschool, now burned out shell, and then Buffy. Helpless, broken, dying.” 

“No.” Faith scrambled away from the woman, who wheezed with laughter on the floor. “What was that?” 

“The future, baby.” 

“It can’t-” 

“Any day now.” The woman crowed. “They’re coming, and the slayer won’t be able to stop ‘em.” Faith looked at her in horror. 

“Why did you show me that?” 

She shrugged “I’m just a psychic. I take the visions where they’re supposed to go. All I know is you have to get to the slayer, and get to the school, and you don’t have much time.” 

“Can I stop it?” 

“Only one way to find out.” 

Faith didn’t think after that. She didn’t need to, her body took over. She shoved past the guard who had come to see what was going on and pushed through the crowd that had formed before breaking into a run. From there, it was too easy. She ran, only hitting when she had to, ripped through the fence like it was putty, and made a break for the highway. Sirens wailed behind her. 

Heading across the empty highway. Faith considered her options. She could likely take the guards, but she was sure by this point they had called in back up, and that wouldn’t end well on either side. If she ran now, she would make it pretty far, but they’d catch her before she got anywhere near Sunnydale. Her thoughts were interrupted by the screech of brakes. A car came screeching towards her, and before she could move, it had sent her rolling forward. Ow. She groaned and started to peel herself off the asphalt. 

“Oh, oh god, I’m so… I didn’t even see you. Please say you’re alright.” Faith heard the door open, and a middle aged man kneeled next to her. “Jesus, I’m so sorry.” She felt her lip. It had split, but nothing that wouldn’t heal by tomorrow. 

“You alone?” 

“What?” The man took her elbow as she stood, trying to help her up. Faith shrugged him off and looked at the car. It was empty. She could work with this. The man was staring at her prison clothes. “Who are-” 

“The cops will be here any minute, tell ‘em I said hi.” With that, Faith punched him, and he crumpled to the ground. Faith jumped in the driver’s seat, checked that the keys were still in the ignition, and roared away. 

\+ + + 

Buffy transferred all of her grocery bags to her left hand, freeing her right to rummage through her purse for her keys. “Come on,” she muttered. She reminded herself, for the hundredth time, that she needed to clean out her purse. It was becoming impossible to find anything in it. Faintly beyond the door, she heard the phone begin to ring. She sped up her search. 

“I’m coming!” She told the phone, “Just hang on a sec!” It ignored her and continued to ring. Finally, she felt the metal ridges of her house key. “Yes!” As she pulled on the keys, the purse dislodged from her shoulder and slipped to the ground. She let go of the groceries to catch it. Something landed with an unpleasant “splat”. Buffy winced. “Eggs,” she said “Those were the eggs.” The phone continued to ring. 

“Just a second!” Buffy shouted through the door. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see an old man walking his dog give her a look. She smiled and waved, and he hurried on. 

“Way to go, Buffy,” she muttered to herself, unlocking the door and picking up the grocery bags “That looked perfectly sane.” She closed the door behind her with her elbow and trucked the groceries into the kitchen. Grabbing a towel off the counter to get the egg off of her hands, she picked up the phone.

“Hello?” 

“Buffy.” Buffy stopped wiping her hands. One word in that voice, and all the chaos in her day seemed to freeze. She wasn’t sure how he could still do that. Even with everything going on around her- Glory, Dawn, her Mom, Riley… hearing him still made her feel calm. Buffy leaned against the wall. 

“Angel,” she whispered. Then, in a stronger voice “What’s wrong?” 

“Does something have to be wrong for us to talk?” 

“Generally speaking. You only seem to call me when there’s an apocalypse.” Angel chuckled on the other end of the line, and Buffy smiled. Cradling the phone with her shoulder, she moved around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess that the eggs had caused and putting the surviving groceries away. 

“So, what’s up? Demons? End of days? Vague and spooky evil?” 

“Not exactly. Look, Buffy, I just got a call from a contact-” 

“That’s never good.” 

“Buffy, Faith got out.” 

Buffy stumbled, grabbing the counter to steady herself. “What?” 

“Two days ago.” He didn’t say anything else, letting her turn his words over in her head.

“I thought they had given her…” 

“Twenty-five to life.” 

“So, what, she’s out early on good behavior?” 

“She overpowered the guards, made it onto the highway, and stole a car.” 

“Have they found her?” Buffy could tell in the silence that followed that he was shaking his head, in the absent way he often did when he forgot that he was on the phone. 

“She ditched the car on the side of the road about ten miles out from the prison.” 

“I thought you said she was getting better.” 

“She was- she is.” 

“People who are better don’t break out of prison.” Buffy winced at the coldness in her voice. Angel was silent. 

“I’m going to find her,” he said gently, and she tried not to hate him for that placating tone. “I just thought you should know, in case…” 

“In case?” 

“It looked like she was heading towards Sunnydale.” Buffy closed her eyes and let that news sink in. 

“Oh.” She said blandly. 

“I could be wrong.” 

“Yeah.” Buffy felt numb. She looked around the messy kitchen. She had tried to keep up with it while Joyce had been recovering in the hospital, but the dishes were piling up, and the trash was full to bursting. Buffy laughed bitterly “Man, this week just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?” 

“What?” 

“Nothing. Doesn’t matter.” 

“I’m sorry,” Angel said, and he sounded like he meant it. “If you needed, I could…” He trailed off, and Buffy wondered how that sentence could possibly have ended.  _ You could what?  _ She wanted to ask,  _ Come back?  _ She let the silence hang. It still hurt, sometimes, knowing that things with him were over. It hurt especially now, with the sting of losing Riley still so fresh. But she let the ache in her chest pass. What they had had been special, but it had ended, and Buffy was okay with that. No, really. She smiled and shook her head. 

“Thanks for the offer,” she said, though he hadn’t really offered anything. “But I’m alright. You should look for her. I’ll let you know if she turns up here.” 

“Go easy on her, won’t you? She’s been through a lot.” Buffy bit back a retort, and instead settled for a simple “Fine.” before hurriedly ending the call. When she had said her final goodbyes, Buffy set the phone back in its cradle and leaned her head against the wall, letting herself take a minute to breathe. Faith was out. Not only that, but Faith was coming  _ here _ . Why? And why now? Leave it to Faith to stage a jailbreak at the worst possible time. She tried not to think about the last time they had met. Or the time before that. Or the time before that. Buffy’s mind drifted unbidden to the image of Faith standing on the rooftop, clutching her side, her hands slick with the same blood that covered the blade in Buffy’s hand. She pressed her palms to her eyes, willing the image away. There had been a time when they had been close. Friends, even. There had been a time when Buffy would have trusted Faith with her life. It had been a wild, heady feeling, being the “chosen two”. It had been nice, sharing her destiny. Until it had all gone wrong. 

Buffy had been so angry last time they had seen each other ( _ for good reason _ she thought bitterly, but she put that thought aside). She had hated Faith for stealing her body, and hated Angel even more for forgiving her. Well, not just for forgiving her. The more Buffy thought about it afterwards, the more she realized that really, she hated Angel for doing the thing that Buffy couldn’t, that she felt like maybe she should. Secretly, she hated herself a bit for the way that she had raged against Faith, cringed at that memory of herself more than at the thought of Faith or Angel, but she couldn’t let herself dwell on that. She shook the memories out of her head, focused on what needed to be done. It was always easier to let herself fall into plans and actions. She didn’t like getting stuck in thought. She busied herself with the dishes, making a list in her head as she did. 

She had to call Giles. That was number one. He had already been planning a trip to the council to try and get information on Glory, maybe he could… Buffy didn’t like the idea of the council knowing about Faith. As much as they had hurt each other, Buffy couldn’t quite hate her, and she definitely didn’t want to put her at the mercy of Quentin Travers. Still, Giles could help, and he would get the word out to the others. Then, she’d check in on Joyce in the hospital. Last time, Faith had gone for her family. It had only been to lure Buffy in, and something in her doubted that the other slayer would do it again. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check, and she needed to visit Joyce today anyway. The doctors thought that she would be able to come home tomorrow, but Buffy could tell that even the short visit had her mom feeling restless. She hated hospitals almost as much as Buffy herself. After that, Dawn had to be picked up from school, and the house had to be cleaned in anticipation of Joyce’s return (Buffy had been meaning to do that. Really.) and dinner had to be made, and then maybe they could meet up at the magic box to figure out what they were supposed to do if Faith showed up. Then there was patrolling, making sure Dawn did her homework, checking with Willow about the anti-Glory wards she had put up, and… 

The hairs on the back of Buffy’s neck stood on end, even before she heard the knock on the door. There was a swooping sensation in her gut, and she knew. She wondered briefly if she should call Giles now, but the knock came again. It was gentle, almost timid. Buffy sighed. It’s not like Faith was a vampire; the door wouldn’t hold her out if she wanted in. And that didn’t seem like the knock of someone on a revenge mission. She steeled herself and went to the door. “Faith,” she said as she opened it. “Why are you here?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breaking out of prison is easy when you have slayer strength and a lazy writer who doesn't want to spend to long on the details;)  
> This is my first Buffy fic! I started writing this for fun to try and get past my writer's block, and I'm really enjoying it!  
> Sorry for any typos, proof reading is not my strong suit.


	2. Back to School

“Why are you here?” Faith tried to remember how to speak. Her brain didn’t seem to want to cooperate. She hadn’t slept since she got out, and the world was starting to look a little wobbly. Everything came into focus, though, when the door to the Summers house opened, and Buffy looked out at her. She stood with one hand firmly on the door handle, the other on her hip, like she was ready to slam the door whenever she needed to. Buffy’s hair was different than the last time Faith had seen her- a little shorter, a little straighter. It was nice. Faith killed that mental tangent. She really needed sleep. Buffy’s mouth was set in that self-righteous line it always seemed to twist into when Faith was around. Not that Faith didn’t deserve it, but it was still annoying as hell. Buffy past her to the empty street, eyes darting back and forth like she was worried someone might see them, and,  _ oh yeah _ , Faith thought  _ I’m a fugitive now _ . 

“Maybe you’d better come in,” Buffy said, stepping to the side “And put on some real clothes.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice.” Faith stayed in the doorway. She hadn’t seen Buffy in nearly a year. It felt different than she thought it would. She imagined a twinge in the faint scar on her stomach, then remembered with a wince everything that had transpired after she had woken up. She worried idly that Buffy might still hate her, and wasn’t that strange? Girl stabs her, and Faith is afraid that maybe  _ she  _ will be upset. She would have a right to be. Faith had too many mixed feelings about this, her head was starting to hurt. Although, that also might have been the getting hit by a car and then not sleeping for two days. Yeah, that was probably it. Buffy cleared her throat. 

“Faith? Last time I checked you weren’t a vampire.” 

“What?” 

Buffy gestured to the threshold. “Are you waiting for a formal invitation?” 

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Faith stepped inside. Buffy closed the door behind her, then headed for the stairs. Faith wasn’t sure if she was meant to follow, so she stayed where she was. Buffy turned around and gave her a look. 

“Aren’t you coming?” Guess that answered that question. Faith took the stairs two at a time to catch up to Buffy, choosing to look around the house instead of trying to breach the awkward silence between them. It hadn’t changed since she’d been there last. Same pictures on the walls, there was Dawn’s bedroom, still covered in the same posters. She followed Buffy into her room and watched as she opened her closet. 

“I’m sure I’ve got something you can borrow in here.” 

“Thanks, B,” Buffy grimaced at the nickname “Er, Buffy. Thanks Buffy.” 

“Really, don’t mention it. How did you get here?” 

“Snuck onto the back of a truck, then-” 

“Actually, I don’t really care.” 

“Okay.” 

Buffy turned, a tee shirt and a pair of sweatpants crumpled in her hands. “I’m more just wondering why. What, decided you’d had enough of actually paying for what you’d done? Got sick of living in your own skin again, stopped by to see if you could borrow mine?” Faith hung her head, and she could hear Buffy sigh “I didn’t mean that,” she said, and she sounded as tired as Faith felt. “Sorry.” 

“No, it’s cool. I think you’ve earned a bit of rage.” 

“So have you.” The two slayers looked at each other. Buffy cleared her throat, and held a bundle out to Faith. “Clothes.”   
“Right, right. Seriously, thanks for this.” 

“Just, change. I’ll be downstairs. Come down when your done. Maybe you can tell me why you’re here?” 

Buffy left Faith standing in the middle of the room. She sat on the bed and pressed her hands to her eyes. “Damn it.” She wished she hadn’t come. There was just so much between them, it was exhausting. But she didn’t have a choice. She had to warn Buffy. Right. That was why she was here. Stay on task, Lehane. She dropped her clothes in a pile at the foot of the bed and slipped into the fresh ones Buffy had given her. The shirt was snug, but comfortable enough. She grabbed her own shoes and socks and headed back downstairs in time to hear the click of the phone being placed back on the receiver. Buffy turned to look at her, crossing her arms. 

“I called Angel.” She said tersely “He’d like to talk to you, but I said that we had to talk first.” 

Faith felt a twinge in her chest “That’s fine. I promise, I’m not… I did come here for a reason.” 

“Which is…?” 

“You needed my help.” Buffy raised an eyebrow “I mean, you’re going to? Or, I guess…” Damn, she really hadn’t thought through how she was going to explain this.  _ I mean, what am I supposed to say _ ? Faith wondered,  _ I had a bad dream, so I thought I’d stop by?  _ Now that she was standing in front of Buffy, it sounded incredibly stupid, but it was the only explanation she had. Besides, if anyone was going to understand weird prophecy dreams, it would be Buffy, wouldn’t it? She explained about the nightmare, and the strange, inhuman woman who had come to her. Buffy listened through it all without comment. When Faith had finished, she shook her head. 

“Okay, so, some demon gives you a vision, and you just… go? Faith, you do have access to phones there, right?”   
“Well, yeah, but-” 

“And who’s supposed to be coming after me, anyway?” 

“I- I mean I don’t know  _ exactly,  _ but-” 

“Faith, I’ve dealt with demons before, I can handle myself-” 

“I thought that you were in trouble, okay?” Faith burst out. Buffy’s mouth snapped shut. “Yeah, maybe I was being a bit of a dumb-ass” Faith fiddled with the hem of the tee-shirt Buffy had lent her. It smelled fresh, like soap. “It wouldn’t be the first time, but I was worried, and I figured if I could help, why not try?” Buffy didn’t answer. Faith twisted the fabric around her fingers. “Look, it was stupid, okay?” Her tone was defiant, bordering on whiny. “But at least I gave you a heads up about the next big bad, or whatever.” 

Buffy sighed “Alright. We can check it out. Is there anything else that you remember about your dream that I could tell Giles? Something that could tell him what he’s looking for?” Faith thought. 

“That woman, or whatever she was, said we had to go to the old Sunnydale High building..” 

“Hellmouth. Got it. Maybe you can get yourself something out of the fridge while I call?” Now, there was a suggestion Faith could get behind. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. When was the last time she ate? She started towards the kitchen, but Buffy stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Faith flinched, and Buffy pulled away. 

“Sorry, I just wanted to… Thank you, Faith. Seriously.” 

“It’s not a big deal.” Buffy raised her eyebrow again “Seriously. I’m not leading the Buffy parade, I’d just rather not see you die, that’s all.” 

“Whatever. I still appreciate it.” 

“Fine.” Faith decided to chalk the strange feeling in her stomach up to hunger and hurried into the kitchen while Buffy went to call Giles. She rummaged through the fridge. Buffy picked up the phone and took it to the next room. Faith understood that she wasn’t supposed to hear what was said. Panic washed over her, but she pushed it down. She had come to Sunnydale, there wasn’t any turning back now. 

\+ + + 

“Hello?” 

“Giles, Faith is here.” Buffy tried to say it matter-of-factly, as if she was completely unfazed by the presence of a reformed murderer in her house. It was fine. She was fine. She could handle it. Water off a duck’s back. (Buffy had never really understood that phrase. Ducks  _ live _ in the water. Isn’t it pretty much always on their backs? She decided that was something she could wonder about after dealing with the formerly homicidal slayer sitting in her kitchen.) There was a clattering on Giles’ end of the line, followed by a string of muffled words that Buffy couldn’t quite hear, but was sure translated into whatever the British version of “holy shit” was. “Giles?” 

“Sorry, I- hold on.  _ Blast it all _ . I spill my tea on a book. Did you say Faith is back?” 

“In the flesh.” Buffy glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen, where Faith was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

“Are you alright? I’m on my way.” 

“No, no, I’m okay.” Buffy said “Really.” It was oddly soothing, the way he was so ready to spring into action, even though Buffy doubted that he would be much good against Faith. Still, it’s the thought that counts.

“But, Buffy-” 

“Giles, it’s fine. She’s not here for a fight. She just came to… to warn me, I guess.” 

“Warn you?” 

“Apparently, there’s going to be some big Hellmouth-y happenings in the next few days. She had a vision.” She heard rustling on the other side of the line, and she could imagine Giles sitting down, reaching for a pen.

“I see. Does she have any details?” 

“Big demon, bad ending.” 

“So, not exactly out of the ordinary.” 

“Right. Giles, she says that a demon found her to tell her about it.”

“Hmm.” Giles paused, and Buffy shuffled her feet “And… you don’t think we can trust her?” 

“It’s not that,” Buffy said, although the thought had crossed her mind “It just seems strange, doesn’t it?” 

“I suppose it does. I’m meant to leave tomorrow, but in the meantime, I’ll do some research. Would you like me to notify the others?” 

That was exactly what Buffy wanted. “Yeah, thanks, Giles. Could you ask Willow if she could pick up Dawn, too? I’m not sure how I feel about her being here right now.” 

“Yes, that seems wise.” 

“And, Giles?” 

“Hmm?” 

“When you… um,” Buffy walked to the living room, carefully out of earshot. “When you see the council,” she whispered, “don’t tell them she’s here? She’s not exactly my favorite person right now, but I don’t like the idea of them carrying her off somewhere.” 

“Of course.” Buffy closed her eyes and sighed. 

“Thanks.” She sat down heavily on the couch, leaning back. Seeing Faith again had been like getting hit over the head by a ton of bricks. Her mind was a mess of conflicting emotions, and really, Buffy didn’t want to deal with any of them. “What are we supposed to do with her, Giles?” 

“Exactly what we are doing, I expect,” he responded, his voice bemused, but still soothing “we’ll look into her warnings, then contact Angel, and then…” His voice died. It was the ‘and then’ that Buffy hadn’t figured out yet. 

“Yeah.” Buffy said. She scrubbed a hand over her face and stood up. “I should get back to it. Thanks again.” 

“Alright. Be careful, Buffy.” 

“I always am.” Giles hung up. Buffy allowed herself a moment to breathe. She could hear Faith moving in the kitchen, and she didn’t want to go back in just yet. 

“Bad week.” She muttered to herself. Although, if she was honest, this didn’t feel entirely bad. It probably should, all the necessary crappy day ingredients were there, but at this point it more just felt surreal. She shook herself as she stood. If she sat for any longer, she may actually have to think through what was going on, and that way lay madness. 

Buffy put away the phone as she walked into the kitchen. Faith was sitting at the counter eating a sandwich. 

“Giles is going to look into… whatever it is we’re supposed to be looking into.” Buffy said. Faith nodded. 

“Good.” They lapsed into silence. Faith chewed her sandwich. Finally, she swallowed and said “So, what do we do?” 

“Wait, I guess?”   
“Wait? Buffy, there’s something out there. I saw what it’s going to do to you.” Buffy was taken aback by the genuine concern in her voice. She huffed in frustration. 

“And what are we supposed to do before we know what we’re up against?” 

“The demon said that we had to get to the high school.” 

_ Oh, the demon said, _ Buffy thought,  _ yeah. That always ends well.  _ She kept that thought to herself. Instead, as levelly as possible, she said “And you think we should just take her word for it?” 

“Maybe? I don’t know, I…” Faith trailed off. Buffy waited. 

\+ + + 

Faith searched for a way to describe what she was feeling. She could feel Buffy’s eyes on her, see the slight eyebrow raise. “It feels right? Since she showed me what was coming, I’ve felt like that’s where I need to be.” She couldn’t explain it more than that. She just had to hope that Buffy would understand. That through some slayer-connection, she would get what Faith was trying to say. 

Buffy narrowed her eyes. She looked like she wanted to argue, but finally her shoulders deflated, and she just nodded. “Alright. Alright, we’ll go. I’m no good at sitting around, anyway.” Faith grinned, relief flooding through her. She knew exactly what Buffy meant. She had never been able to stay in one place for long. Maybe it was a slayer thing; you always had to be where the action was. 

“You have weapons?” 

“Upstairs. Wait here.” 

Buffy left, and Faith drifted towards the front entryway. She waited at the bottom of the stairs, listening to the creak of the floorboards above her. After a couple of minutes, Buffy returned, tossing her a stake and shouldering a bag of her own. It clattered as she walked, and Faith saw an arrow sticking out of the top. Crossbow. 

“You get all that, and I just get a lousy stake?” 

Buffy shrugged “I’ve seen you do a lot more damage with a lot less.” And, okay, ouch. Faith supposed this should have been expected. Buffy may have reacted well, more or less, to Faith’s arrival on her doorstep, but that didn’t mean that they were going to start braiding each other’s hair and hugging it out. Faith pocketed the stake, it’s weight comforting. She turned to leave, but Buffy said “Oh, wait!” 

“What’s wrong?” Buffy was already up the stairs and out of sight. Faith shifted her weight back and forth. She returned moments later holding an (in Faith’s opinion) incredibly stupid looking bucket hat. Faith raised her eyebrows. “Okay, you’ve accessorized,” she said drily “can we go now?” 

“It’s not for me.” Before she could object, Buffy had shoved the hat onto Faith’s head, covering her eyes. Faith squawked and pulled at it, wrestling it up so she could see. Buffy was smirking. The hat was a purple felt monstrosity that itched at Faith’s forehead. 

“Is this some kind of a punishment?” Faith asked “Bad slayers get the hat of shame.” 

“Yes, it’s the ancient Hat of Shame,” Buffy shot back, rolling her eyes, but still smiling, “Passed down through the generations.” Faith grunted and adjusted it. Buffy switched to a more serious tone. “It’s a disguise,” she said “I doubt that anyone will notice you, but still. Big prison break, it’s probably best you stay under the radar.

“Right.” Honestly, Faith thought that if anything, the hat made her more conspicuous. She seriously doubted Buffy’s understanding of the word “disguise”, but whatever. She could take it. She pulled the hat down over her face. “Well, let’s get this over with.” 

They left the house and headed for the school, falling into step. Faith pushed her hands into her pockets. The silence between them felt heavy. 

“So,” Faith said at last, needing to fill the air “How is everyone?” Buffy raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Do you care?” 

“Well, yeah.” Or at the very least, she was trying to. That was something she had been working on, both on her own and with Angel during their monthly check-ins (he really had taken this whole ‘redemption’ thing to heart, the big sap). Sure, Buffy’s groupies weren’t exactly on her Christmas list, but she had almost been friends with them, once. And at least if she was hearing about them, she wouldn’t be stuck walking in silence. Buffy looked at her contemplatively, but didn’t argue. 

“They’re alright. Willow’s still practicing magic and going to classes. Xander’s working construction. They’re both dating, both happy.” 

“Is Red still with, um,” Faith couldn’t remember the name “That girl, the one I saw when I…” Nope. Let’s not go there. Buffy’s jaw tensed. 

“Tara.” she said quickly, graciously letting the moment slide. “And yes.” 

“And Xander?” 

“Anya.” Buffy looked at Faith “I think you met her. Short, blunt, ex vengeance demon?” 

Faith vaguely remembered something about that. She let out a low whistle anyway “That’s a match made in heaven.” 

“Yeah, I don’t really get it, but they somehow work really well. They’re in love.” Faith gave Buffy a sidelong glance. Her jaw was still set, like she was expecting a punch. 

“And how’s the new guy? Riley?” 

Buffy didn’t look at her “Left.” 

“Oh, damn.” 

“As of this week, actually.” 

“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” 

“It’s fine. I’m dealing.” She didn’t look like she was dealing. Faith decided now was a good time to change the subject. 

“Well, screw him, then. Anyway,” she sought hastily for something else to say, “what about the family? Mom, little sis?” 

If anything, the expression on Buffy’s face got more closed off. Faith got a sinking feeling in her chest that told her that she had really stepped in it. 

“Mom was sick, but she’s okay now.” Buffy said in a clipped tone, the holes in that story louder than the actual words “And Dawn is fine.” Okay, Buffy didn’t want to talk about family. By the looks of it, now she didn’t want to talk about anything. Faith’s mind wandered back to the last time she had seen Joyce and Dawn. She had tied them up, and was just getting into the threats when Buffy barged in. No wonder she didn’t want to talk. 

“Look, I wasn’t actually going to hurt them.” Faith said. 

“What?” Oh, yeah, maybe that thought needed a little more context. 

“When I- when we swapped. I was just trying to get you there, I swear that I would never have actually done anything to them. Hell, I like them. I know I crossed a line, but you don’t have to, like, protect them from me, or whatever.” 

Buffy still looked confused, but then realization dawned on her face. “Oh, you thought- no. I mean, I’ll be honest, that’s not a reunion that I’m going to push for,” Faith hung her head “But I’m not trying to hide them from you or anything. Things are complicated right now.” 

“That sounds like an understatement.” Buffy didn’t respond. Faith elbowed her gently “Trouble in the Summers’ household?” 

“Look, could we not?” Buffy said abruptly. Faith pulled away from her. “I get that you’re trying to- I don’t know- reconcile or something, and I appreciate the heads up on the Hellmouth, but things aren’t okay between us, Faith. And I can’t just ‘catch up’ like we’re old friends. Because I’m not really sure we are.” 

“Sorry.” 

Buffy looked angry. Faith wanted to shrink. That didn’t happen often. She fidgeted with the stake in her pocket and rolled her shoulders. Buffy deflated slightly, sighing. 

“It’s fine. I’m sorry I snapped. Just, maybe don’t ask about my family right now? Like I said, complicated.” 

“It’s off limits, I get it.” They continued on in silence. Faith didn’t try to break it again. After far too long, Buffy slowed. 

“Here we are.” 

The building was an ashy smear on the bright landscape. The walls, those that still stood, were dusted grey and charcoal black. Shards of glass hung like jagged teeth in the window frames. Wooden boards and police tape warned off any intruders, but judging by the graffiti, it hadn’t been very successful. Next to the door, in large red letters, someone had written “Class of ‘99” It looked like a blood stain to Faith. Her chest ached, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She had helped do this. Guilt twisted in her stomach, but, even now, she mainly felt a pang of loss. This is where he had died. 

Buffy was watching her. Faith shuddered, took a breath. “Well? We going in, or what?” Buffy broke her stare and looked at the shell of the old school. 

“Might as well.” Slowly, they made their way up to the school and through a gap in the boards. Faith blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. Buffy tapped her shoulder and tilted her head in the direction of one of the hallways. 

“Library’s this way,” she said, pulling her crossbow out of the bag, as well as an extra stake, which she pocketed, and a knife, which she slipped into her belt, “if there is something going on, it’ll be there.” She dropped the bag by the door and started forward. Faith pulled her own stake free, holding it at the ready as she followed Buffy. There was a rustling behind them, and both slayers spun round, but nothing was there. They looked at each other. 

“Maybe it was a rat?” Buffy said, though she didn’t sound confident. 

“Yeah. That was probably it.” Faith replied, not believing her words for a second. She had felt certain that this was where they were supposed to be, but now that they were actually here, she wasn’t so sure. She ignored the sinking feeling in her gut and pushed on. The scuttling sound came again. “Let’s get to the library.” Faith said, picking up her pace. Buffy jogged next to her, looking over her shoulder every few paces. They rounded a corner, and Faith skidded to a halt as she saw a shape disappear into an old classroom. 

“Faith,” Buffy said “this doesn’t feel right.” 

“We can handle it.” Faith tried to sound more sure than she felt, but she couldn’t keep her voice from wavering. There was a sound like claws scraping concrete. They were just around the corner from the old library now. Faith felt a strange tugging sensation, and she stepped forward, but Buffy caught her shoulder. 

“Wait, I don’t like this.” 

“Come on, we have to see what we’re up against.” 

“Faith, there’s something here. We should go, regroup, come back later.” Faith shook her head. 

“I just wanna see.” 

“Faith, no!” 

Faith broke away, surging around the corner, and Buffy followed. The library was a crater. Standing at its heart were two demons. Their skin was a patchwork of blue veins over mottled green. Their legs bent backwards and their backs were hunched. Long, sinewy arms hung down in front of them, and the knuckles of their large, taloned hands scraped the ground. They had dog-like faces, that stretched into sickly smiles, lips pulled back to reveal pointed teeth. Standing in between them, arms crossed and smiling, was a woman with choppy red hair and bulbous eyes. She smiled. 

“Faith. Thank you for bringing her. I knew I could count on you.” 

“What?” Faith’s heart hammered in her chest. There was a low growl behind her, and she turned to see three more of the demons slinking out of the shadows. Another emerged from behind the woman. They were surrounded. Buffy looked at her with wide eyes. 

“You set me up.” 

Blind panic seeped into Faith’s mind. “No, Buffy, I didn’t-” 

“Get them.” The woman said, and the demons surged forward. Buffy and Faith instinctively turned, standing back to back. They held the demons at bay, but more kept coming. Faith couldn’t tell how many there were. She stabbed wildly with the stake, until it splintered against the chest of one of the monsters. She threw it to the side and kicked.

“I didn’t know!” Faith shouted, not sure if Buffy would hear her or not. “Buffy, I swear, you’ve gotta believe me. She set me up.” 

“Faith,” Buffy said, turning towards her and lifting the crossbow, “Now is really not a good time.” Faith ducked as the arrow flew, sinking with a dull “thwack” into the neck of the demon behind her. 

Faith and Buffy fought as hard as they could, but there were so many of them. Buffy was knocked to the ground. She gasped in pain as a demon dug its claws into her back. 

“Buffy!” Faith tried to run to her, but she was pushed to the floor. She struggled to get up, but a demon pushed its massive hand against her back as well, keeping her in place. Its claws poked at her, but it didn’t move to kill. The demons quieted, wheezing and clicking as they circled the two slayers. Faith heard footsteps coming towards them. They stopped, and Faith could see the boots of the woman. 

“Good boys.” She said smugly. She kneeled down and looked at each slayer in turn, her smile reminding Faith of a toad. “You two put up a good fight. You’re strong.” She nodded imperceptibly and the demons holding them down lifted them up, trapping their arms behind their backs. Faith heard Buffy exclaim, but she couldn’t turn her head far enough to see her. The woman stood before them. 

“You lied to me.” Faith said. The woman snorted. 

“You made it easy.” 

“Well, you got us,” Faith’s voice dripped with false bravado. She strained against her captor. “Shouldn’t you just kill us already?” All she got in return was a smirk. Faith growled, fighting harder “Come on!” She shouted “Do it already!” 

“Faith, stop giving the demon ideas.” Buffy shot at her. The red haired woman laughed. 

“I’m not going to kill you, Faith,” she said easily “at least, not yet.” She looked around at the school with disdain “Not here. There’s a time and place.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

The woman smiled “My name-” 

“Didn’t ask” 

“Is Esme.” she continued, as though Faith hadn’t spoken at all. “I represent the interests of the Empistos. We’ve been watching you for quite some time.” 

“Always nice to meet a fan.” Buffy snarked. The woman ignored her, too. 

“One of your predecessors crossed us. It’s time to settle the score.” 

“Cool. And again, I ask: why haven’t you just killed us?” 

Esme’s face was cold. “Faith, have a little more imagination. We don’t just want to kill you.” Her eyes glinted. “We want to end the slayer line for good.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, there's kind of a plot now.   
> Thanks for reading:)


	3. Escape

Buffy came to in a dark room. She tried to lift herself off the ground, then groaned. Her back was burning. The fabric of her shirt, now crusted with blood, clung to her back, pulling at her skin when she moved. It shifted across one of the claw marks near her shoulder, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. 

“Buffy?” Faith whispered. Buffy figured she should probably answer, but her head hurt, and she couldn’t really think of words. 

“Ow,” she said. Faith sighed. 

“Welcome back. You were out for a while there, I was starting to worry.” 

“Mmph.” Buffy replied. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. Her eyes began to adjust, and she looked around. A barred window illuminated the room. It was night now (how long had they been here?) and the moonlight pushed in weakly through the glass. There was a chair in the corner, and a bed against the back wall. Whoever had dumped her here hadn’t been thoughtful enough to put her there. Judging by the aching in her side, it felt like she had just been dropped on the hardwood floor. Faith was kneeling at Buffy’s side. She looked back at the dim silhouette of the bed “Sorry you woke up on the floor; I wasn’t sure if I should move you.” 

Buffy’s mouth was dry. She swallowed experimentally then slowly, painful, sat up. “Where?” She croaked. Faith looked around. 

“I don’t know exactly.” She said. “Bastards blindfolded me. We’re still in Sunnydale, though, as far as I can guess. Probably one of the abandoned buildings. You guys seem to have a lot of those. Guess it comes with the Hellmouth.” Faith peered towards the door. “I heard voices when they were bringing us in. There’s a bunch of people downstairs, I couldn't tell how many exactly.” 

“And your demon friend?” It came out harsher than intended, but Buffy was feeling too sore and tired to hide her irritation. Faith hunched over. 

“I didn’t know.” 

“Right.” 

“Really.” Faith looked up at her. “Esme came to me, and she showed me this demon. Said it was coming for you. I didn’t think after that- I just…” Faith’s voice got quiet, “I didn’t think.” 

“No, you didn’t.” Buffy found that she couldn’t keep her anger going. She didn’t have the energy. “It doesn’t matter now,” she sighed “We’re in it, we’ll deal with it.” She closed her eyes and tried to sort through the fog of her recent memories. “That woman- Esme- said she wanted to end the slayer line. What does that mean?” 

Faith shrugged “Stop the next girl from getting chosen, I guess.” 

“Do you think she can do that?” 

“I don’t know,” Buffy could hear a hint of anxiousness in Faith’s voice “I don’t think so. But, she seemed strong. And she’s not alone. She said something about a group… the Empty toasts, or something. I wasn’t really listening.” 

Buffy hadn’t been, either. She wracked her brain, trying to remember the word Esme had used. “Empistos?” 

“Yeah, that’s it.” In spite of everything, Buffy felt a bit pleased that she had actually been able to remember a name for once. Giles would be so proud. 

“We should try and find out more about them.” Buffy said. “We need Giles.” 

She tried to stand, then lurched forward and retched. Faith caught her shoulders, and she shouted in pain. Faith let go, holding her up, palms out. 

“Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” 

Faith cautiously extended an open hand. Buffy stared at her.  _ Faith wants to hold my hand? _ she wondered vaguely. Then, her brain caught up with events, and she realized Faith was offering to help Buffy stand. She decided she might as well take the offer; she couldn’t exactly do it on her own. Even with Faith’s assistance, Buffy felt wobbly on her feet. Faith guided her towards the window. 

“Let me take a look at your head. The thing carrying you wasn’t exactly gentle. He bashed your head on the wall as we were leaving the school.” 

Buffy nodded, then regretted it. “I remember.” 

By the window, Buffy could see Faith more clearly. There was a cut running across her jaw. It was mostly closed (thank god for Slayer healing time), but there was dried blood caked around it. Faith reached out carefully and pulled Buffy’s hair off her forehead. It was matted with blood. Buffy winced, and Faith paused. 

“Sorry.” She tucked Buffy’s hair behind her ear. Her mouth was pinched in a thin line as she studied Buffy’s forehead. Buffy was grateful for Faith’s focus, because it meant that she missed Buffy’s baffled expression. She had never seen Faith be this gentle before. It was incredibly strange. Still, she appreciated it. She schooled her face into a more normal look, and waited for Faith to speak. 

“I… don’t really know what I’m looking for.” She admitted after a moment. Buffy snorted, then raised a hand to her temple. 

“Ow.” 

“How many fingers am I holding up.” 

Buffy glanced at her “Two.” 

“Okay. You can see. That’s a plus. Should I ask you the other stuff? What year is it, who’s the president, do you remember your name?” 

“I think I’m alright.” Buffy said, earning her an incredulous look “Really.” She turned to look out the window. It looked like they were in an old, run down house. There was a heavy wrought-iron gate outside, and beyond it… Buffy pointed to a cluster of headstones just visible behind a line of trees. 

“That’s Restfield Cemetery.” she said. “We’re on the edge of town. Faith stared at her. 

“You can tell which cemetery it is from here?” 

Buffy felt her cheeks go red “I’ve spent a lot of time there, okay?” Faith nodded, an amused expression on her face. Buffy peered out over the window sill. They appeared to be on the second floor. There was a covered porch just below them. She tugged at the bars experimentally.

“If we could get these off, we could probably jump,” she said “from there, we could cut through the cemetery to Giles’. 

“Buffy, you can barely walk.” Faith argued. 

“Do you see an alternative?” 

“Well, no, but let’s at least look for one before we jump out a window. Sit down for a few minutes, okay?” 

Buffy wanted to argue, but there was no denying the ache that had settled in every part of her body. She turned, and Faith gasped behind her. 

“Oh, god.” 

Buffy paused and glanced over her shoulder. 

“What?” 

“Buffy your back.” Faith stepped forward, gently touching the torn fabric of her shirt. Buffy hissed involuntarily. “Can I see?” Faith asked. 

Buffy hesitated for a moment, then lifted her shirt above her navel, exposing a few of the claw marks. Faith inhaled sharply. 

“Is it that bad?” 

“They’re deep. Still bleeding a bit. I don’t think they’ll kill you, but we need to get them cleaned and bandaged soon.” 

“Then we should get out of here!” Buffy pulled her shirt back down and turned to face Faith. The other slayer bit her lip, looking past Buffy at the door, then back towards the window. Buffy put a hand on her shoulder, turning her back around so that they were face to face. “Faith.” She said seriously. Faith nodded. 

“Yeah,” she said “Alright.” 

“Good.” 

The two slayers went to the window. Faith grabbed a bar. “These things will come down easy, but they’ll be loud. Once they’re out, we have to move fast. Can you do it?” 

“I’ll be fine.” 

“Sure you will.” Faith didn’t sound convinced, but she didn’t press. “Let’s get out of here. On three.” Buffy positioned herself shoulder to shoulder with Faith. She had a feeling of deja vu as she took hold of the bars, to a very different moment in the back of a police car. “One, two” Faith said softly. Buffy shook the memory away, braced herself to pull. Faith didn’t need to say three. They moved as one, and the bars came out with a loud crack. “Let’s go!” Faith jumped onto the sill, then off and out to the roof of the porch. She turned, holding out a hand. “Buffy, come on!” 

Buffy followed with less ease. She winced as she landed, and probably would have fallen had it not been for Faith’s steadying hand on her elbow. They leapt to the ground and started running, just as the door to the house ripped open, and a group of people spilled out, Esme in the lead. 

“Get them!” She yelled, and Buffy could hear growling and shouting as their captors gave chase. She pushed herself on, ignoring the searing pain in her back and the throbbing in her head. Faith was in the lead, heading for the cemetery. Buffy pushed herself to keep up. 

“You… are  _ not _ … going… to… trip!” she panted under her breath. The world was wobbling around her, and the ground seemed to be trying to trade places with the sky, but even so. She was not in the mood to be a cliche. 

“What?” Faith shouted over her shoulder. Buffy tried to respond, but found she couldn’t control her breath well enough to speak. She grunted and pushed herself onward until she was level with Faith. They hurtled down the street, veering right at the entrance to Restfield. The gate was, predictably, closed. Buffy scrambled up, feeling Faith doing the same beside her. She had jumped this fence a thousand times, but with the added pain that was slowly seeping into every part of her body, it was a challenge. When she dropped to the other side, she listed sideways, her vision going momentarily dark. 

“Woah.” Faith caught her by the elbow before she fully fell over. “You okay to keep going?” 

“Do I have a choice?” 

Faith looked over her shoulder. “Right. Stupid question.” Buffy started forward again, then stumbled. Faith caught her again, her hand accidentally falling on Buffy’s lower back as she did. Buffy cried out, and Faith pulled her hand away. It was covered in blood. 

“Damn it.” Buffy hissed. “I’m okay.” 

“No, you’re not.” 

“No, I’m not, but I’ll be less okay if we stay here.” Faith wiped her bloodied hand on her pants, still holding Buffy steady by the elbow. Buffy took stock of what she was feeling. The head ache and burning she could deal with, but the lightheadedness that was setting in felt like it probably had to do with the blood that she was still losing through the wounds on her back, and that was harder to just power through. She turned her head sharply at the sound of a not-so-distant howl. The creatures were gaining on them. They would be at the gate any second, and Buffy doubted it would stop them for long. Faith looked back as well, chewing on her lip. 

“I’m gonna do something, and you’re gonna go with it, okay?” she said. Buffy wrinkled her nose. 

“That depends on what you’re –” Faith didn’t give her time to finish that thought. She picked Buffy up and threw her over her shoulder. Buffy squawked indignantly, but Faith ignored her. By the time Buffy thought to protest, they were already moving. “Faith!” Buffy shouted, her voice bouncing with each footstep, but the other slayer continued to tune her out. Buffy pushed her arms against Faith’s back so that she wasn’t stuck staring at her shirt. If she was going to be carried like a sack of potatoes, then at the very least, she was going to be able to see where she was while it was happening. She finally managed to look up, and then wished that she hadn’t. The demons were still in hot pursuit, and they were close enough that Buffy could see bits of their last meal stuck between their teeth. She craned her neck around to see where they were going. 

“Turn left,” she shouted. 

“Isn’t Giles’ this way?” 

“Yeah, and I really don’t think he’ll appreciate us bringing our new friends over for a midnight snack. We have to lose them.” 

“How?” 

“There’s a little building that way– near the fence– with maintenance supplies. It’s got tunnel access. We can use it to get to the sewers.” 

“You really have spent a lot of time here, huh?” Buffy hit Faith’s back. 

“Left.” Faith turned, jumping over a gravestone as she took off towards Buffy’s suggested destination. As they hit the ground again, Buffy winced. She wasn’t a fan of Faith’s tactics, but she had to admit, they were moving faster now than they would have if she had stayed on her feet. Honestly, she wasn’t sure that was even an option right now. Her head felt heavy, and she resisted the urge to slump against Faith’s back. Losing consciousness right now was a very bad idea. 

They reached the maintenance building, and Faith kicked open the door easily, then slammed it behind her. 

“It’s through the door in front of–”   
“I see it.” Faith had already started forward. 

“Oh. Good.” Buffy said. She gave up and let herself fall back against Faith’s back. “That’s good.” 

“Buffy? Stay with me.” Faith had broken the lock, pushed through the door, and started down a ladder, Buffy still on her back. 

“Not sure how I’d go anywhere,” Buffy griped, but it lacked her usual force. It came off less quippy and bad ass, more half dead. She squeezed her eyes shut, then tried again. “Really. I’m okay. Put me down.” 

“You can’t–” 

“You don’t know these tunnels, I do. I can’t give directions upside-down” Hesitantly, Faith lowered Buffy’s feet to the ground, righting her gently. Buffy wobbled a bit. “Better. Thanks.” 

“Yeah, whatever. Just don’t go all faint on me.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Buffy walked to the wall as she spoke, running her fingers across its surface. This part of the vast web of tunnels crisscrossing under Sunnydale was almost completely dark, but she had been down here enough to know which way she needed to go, once she got her bearings. “We have to go right.” She said. “There’s a side passage about 50 yards down, we can take that, then go up through the manhole on–” 

“We gotta move, Buffy.” 

Buffy heard the creatures moving above them. 

“Right. This way.” They fell into lockstep as they hurried through the service tunnel. Faith shot an occasional glance at Buffy, each time looking ahead before Buffy could face her. Every time Buffy stumbled, Faith’s hand was there at her arm, keeping her steady. Buffy couldn’t help but feel a bit of irritation at this. Like she needed help from  _ Faith _ , of all people. Even so, it was oddly comforting to have the other slayer there. 

They reached the turn in silence, pausing sporadically to listen for the sounds of their pursuers. Silently, Buffy pointed out another twisting side tunnel branching off from their current path. This one would dump them out into the sewer, where they could have easy access to the manhole near Giles’. Whoever designed the Sunnydale sewer system was completely insane, and Buffy was deeply grateful for that fact. They had just made it a few feet down the new tunnel when they heard a howl in the distance. Instinctively, Buffy reached for a weapon, hands balling into fists when she found none. She backed up against the wall, holding her breath. At the sound, Faith had stepped forward. Buffy worried momentarily that she was going to do something rash, but then she looked at her stance. Faith’s arms were up, chest squared, she was clearly ready for a fight, if it came, but she was firmly planted in one place. The way she held herself, the angle at which she stood, blocking the entrance, but not fully facing it, poised to look back if needed… it was a position that Buffy had placed herself in enough to recognize it on someone else. Faith had put herself between Buffy and whatever threat may be coming towards them. She was protecting her. That realization twisted something deep in Buffy’s chest. She pulled her eyes off of Faith, turned her mind back to their situation. 

The two slayers waited in tense silence. From the direction that they had come, Buffy could hear growling, along with the sound of claws scraping cement walls. She cast her gaze furiously around them, assessing her options if it came to a fight. The growling continued, broken by soft grunts and snuffles, then stopped. The clattering footsteps of the monsters faded as they ran off into the distance. Buffy let out a sigh of relief. 

“I think they’re gone.” Faith whispered. “We should keep moving, though.” 

“Yeah. Moving. I can do that.” Buffy leaned back against the wall, then flinched forward again. She bit back her annoyance when Faith reached out to steady her once again. She hated the idea of the other slayer seeing her like this– weak, not in control. But just as she started to tell Faith to back off, she saw the look in her eye. It was the same one she had had back in the house, all gentle, genuine concern, and Buffy stopped herself. Faith cared. She actually wanted to help. And besides, she had literally carried Buffy across the graveyard less than ten minutes ago, it wasn’t like Buffy had any dignity left this evening, anyway. She closed her eyes, steadying herself, then met Faith’s gaze. “We’re not far now. Help me?” 

Faith slotted herself against Buffy’s side, supporting her weight with ease. They made their way to the ladder that led up to the surface. Helping Buffy over to the wall, Faith climbed up, shifting the manhole cover out of the way at the top, then scrambled back down. “Can you climb?” She asked. Buffy nodded, and Faith moved out of the way so she could walk to the ladder. Faith climbed up behind Buffy, there in case she fell. They tumbled out onto the street, Faith dragging the metal cover back into place. A man walking by picked up her pace, but otherwise did nothing to acknowledge the two blood splattered girls that had just emerged into the quiet night. Buffy watched him walk away as Faith came to stand at her side, snorting derisively. 

“Only in Sunnydale. You guys really have this whole denial thing down.” 

“Makes it easy.” Buffy shrugged. She turned to look at Faith. “Thanks for getting me through that.” Faith looked away, her mouth twisting into a grimace.

“Maybe save the thanks, yeah? I’m the one who got you into that mess in the first place.”

“Good point.” 

“I swear, I didn’t know this was going to happen. She said that I had to get here.”

“And since demons are known for their stellar advice...” 

“I screwed up.” 

“Pretty much.” Faith had stepped back, putting distance between herself and Buffy. Buffy scrubbed a hand over her face. Faith’s hands were fidgeting by her side, and her expression had grown darker. Looking at her, Buffy saw a flash of a sullen teenage girl sitting in a sleazy motel room, a dark bruise on her face. She took a breath. “But,” she said, more gently “that doesn’t matter now. We’ve just got to figure out what to do next.” 

“Right.” 

“Come on, Giles’ place is this way.” 

\+ + + 

By the time they got to Giles’ house, Faith was practically carrying Buffy again. Faith shifted her weight nervously back and forth as they waited for Giles to answer the door. She said a silent prayer that Buffy stayed conscious, at least for a couple more minutes. She really didn’t like the visual of her showing up with a knocked out Buffy on Giles’ doorstep, hands covered in the other slayer's blood. 

“Come on, what’s taking him so long?” Faith said, ringing the doorbell again.

“Faith, it’s been, like, ten seconds. Could you calm down?” 

“Sure. You’re bleeding out, but I’ll stay calm. Come on!” Buffy was rolling her eyes so hard, Faith could practically feel it, but she didn’t care. She had just raised her hand to knock, when the door swung open. Giles looked out at them. Faith pulled back her hand awkwardly, raising it in a half wave. The watcher glanced over her, then his gaze turned to Buffy, and his eyes widened. 

“Buffy.” He rushed forward to Buffy’s side, and Faith stepped back to let him take her weight. He hurried his slayer over the threshold, leaving Faith to trail behind them. She heard him murmur something, and Buffy responded in the same hushed tones. Giles eased Buffy down onto a chair, then kneeled next to her. He raised a hand to her forehead, barely brushing the mark there with his thumb. Faith shuffled her feet and looked away. “What happened?” Giles asked softly. In lieu of a response, Buffy twisted in her seat to show him the gashes on her back. Giles stood up again, moving briskly. “Right. Stay there, I’ll get supplies.” He paused for a moment, looking at Faith. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he seemed to come to some decision, and left the room. Faith leaned against the doorframe. 

“So, have you just, like, forgotten how to go through doors?” Buffy asked, her tone way too casual for someone who was losing that much blood. 

“Huh?” Faith asked. Buffy raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah.” She stepped into the house cautiously, pulling the door closed behind her. “Sorry.” Buffy was watching her, and Faith felt the urge to hide. Or punch things. Maybe both. She settled for shoving her hands in her pockets. She couldn’t help the sigh of relief that came when Giles reentered the room carrying a first aid kit. The next ten minutes passed in quiet activity as Giles patched up Buffy’s wounds, and Faith let herself fade into the background. When Buffy was fully bandaged, she stood up. Giles raised his hands as if to help her, but she waved him off. 

“Thanks, Giles. I’m okay now.” 

“Buffy, those wounds–” 

“Slayer healing, remember? I’ll be better in no time. We’ve got bigger problems.” 

“Yes, what happened to you two?” Giles asked. He crossed his arms and leaned against the table. “Was it–” 

“No.” Buffy cut him off, glancing over her shoulder at Faith. Faith got the feeling that they were talking about something she wasn’t supposed to know. “No,” Buffy said, a little less forcefully “Not her. A new bad. Because things weren’t screwed up enough.” She smiled sardonically. Then her face fell. “Oh, Oh! Mom, and– and Dawnie, I was supposed to…” 

“It’s alright. When I realized you were gone, I called Xander. He picked up Dawn, and I went to the hospital to get Joyce.”    
“Joyce is in the hospital?” Faith blurted. Giles and Buffy both looked at her. Buffy seemed to fold in on herself, just like she had when Faith tried to bring up her family before. 

“She had to have a surgery.” Buffy said.

“Is she okay?” Faith didn’t like how quiet her voice had gotten. She watched Buffy and Giles look at each other, weighing what they were willing to share, and she felt deeply out of place. 

“Yes.” Giles said, his eyes still on Buffy. She smiled at him. 

“Cool.” Faith said lamely. “Joyce is… nice.” Fantastic observation. Incredible social skills. The room was silent for a moment. Giles turned his full attention back to Buffy. 

“Well, they’re both home. They’re worried about you, of course, but they’re safe. Now, tell me what’s happened.” 

Faith gladly let Buffy do the explaining. She did her best to stay still by the door, but every few minutes the nervous energy inside her would build to a peak, and she’d pace over to the window to peer through the curtains, or roll her shoulders to get rid of some phantom ache. She could feel Giles noting her every move. He never actually looked at her, not that she could see, anyway. He always seemed to keep her eyes trained on Buffy, listening to her story, but something in the way that he held himself told Faith that he was fully aware of where she was at all times, and that he was prepared for a fight if one came up. Former librarians really weren’t supposed to look that intimidating, especially not when they were wearing baggy old sweaters, but he seemed to manage it okay. Faith tuned back into the conversation just as Buffy was wrapping up her explanation. 

“She said that they were called the Empistos.” Giles leaned forward a bit, and Buffy said “Have you heard of them?” 

“Possibly” Giles replied. He made his way over to one of the bookshelves. “The name sounds familiar, possibly something I read in the watcher’s diaries.” He selected a massive old book and began rifling through the pages. He got a thoughtful look on his face, then closed the book and reached for another one.

“Okay, you’ve gone full research-mode, I’m gonna go home.” Buffy said. Giles didn’t respond immediately, his expression still distant. Buffy smirked. After a belated moment, he looked up. 

“What? Oh, yes. Go. I’ll call you when I know something.” 

“Great. Thank you.” Buffy scrubbed a hand over her eyes. “I want to know what this is, Giles. I’ve got more enemies than I can handle right now.” Giles nodded, and once again, Faith felt something unspoken pass between them. Buffy turned, and walked towards the door. 

“Wait, Buffy,” Faith said, hand half reaching out, then falling to her side again as Buffy turned to look at her. She resisted the urge to look down at the floor, but couldn’t quite stop herself from scuffing her shoes against the carpet “Where should I…” She trailed off, letting the question hang between them. Buffy glanced quickly at Giles, then opened the door. 

“You can stay with me,” she said. 

“You sure?” 

“Well, you can’t exactly stay at the Motel, being a fugitive and all, and if this thing really is after us…” Buffy paused, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she thought. “We should be watching each other’s backs.” Faith felt her heart twist a little. She nodded. 

“Okay. Thanks.” 

“Seriously don’t mention it. I’m trying not to change my mind.” Faith smiled, and she thought Buffy’s lip twitched a bit as well. “Let’s go” she said, walking out onto the street. Faith followed her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for typos and nonsense, I think my brain has left the building. Next time, Summers family shenanigans and more pining!


End file.
